Lost and Found
by Raincloud97
Summary: How can you help somebody when you're just as damaged as they are? (That's a terrible summary. But you should still read this.) Blackice. AKA PitchxJack Modern AU Lemons in later chapters
1. Chapter 1

**Alrighty, just some quick notes before we start. First of all, this is my first time writing for this fandom, so please be kind when leaving reviews. I'm all for constructive criticism, but please no flames. **

**Secondly, this is being done for my best friend, Nervartius, who without him I would be extremely boring. I am doing this all for him seeing as how this isn't my favorite pairing(more of a hijack fan myself). **

**So, with that said, go on and start reading! :-)**

**Warning:This is yaoi and it will include lemons in later chapters. If you don't like it then hit the back button.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians or any of it's characters. **

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"Casual Friday can not come soon enough," Jack, grumbled as his fingers made quick work of the buttons on his sky-blue button down. He cringed as he looked in the mirror and rolled up his sleeves.

He had chosen his brown sneakers, khaki pants and his favorite button down. It was what he usually wore to work, but that didn't mean he liked it.

Jack smiled when as he thought about what he was going to wear on Friday. He had just bought a hideous blue and white sweater with a large snowflake on the front. He knew his kids were going to love it.

Jack did a quick final check on his hair before he grabbed his bag and hoodie and left his apartment. When Jack got outside, he couldn't help but smile.

It was about 6 am, so it was still dark out and the city lights illuminated the sky. The snow was falling lightly and had a golden glow to it from all of the surrounding lights. Jack sighed as he started walking down the dim streets to his favorite coffee shop/bakery to get his daily dose of caffeine and sugar.

Jack had been going to The Warren ever since he moved in to his new apartment. It was only a couple blocks away and it was on the way to work.

The fact that he was good friends with the owner, Aster Bunnymund, helped too. They had been best friends ever since they were kids when Aster first moved to the neighborhood from Australia. They had been best friends ever since.

Before Jack knew it, he was standing in front of the tiny shop. Jack brushed the snow off of himself as he stepped inside. He was delighted to see that the shop was empty except for his Australian friend.

Aster was a tall bugger at 6'5, but he was by no means lanky. Oh no, Aster took pride in the fact he went to the gym three times a week and one could easily tell. His toned arms, shoulders and abs would've had Jack drooling if it weren't for the fact that Aster was his best friend. Aster also always seemed to be tan while Jack had never been tan in his life. Only lily-white and sun-burnt red. However, when it came to hair, Jack liked to think he had Aster beat. While Jack's hair was a brilliant white, Aster's hair was a dark gray with bits of black mixed in. Aster's mom used to call them her two old men when they were younger.

"Ello Jack! What're you doing up this early mate," Aster asked. It never failed to amaze Jack how much Aster had managed to keep his accent over the years. Jack had always figured it was because of his parents. Jack shrugged as he leaned on the counter.

"I've got some classroom decorating to do. It's the first day of my winter celebration," Jack said with a smirk. The other man chuckled.

"Of course. How could I forget that?" Jack laughed and smiled.

"So I'll take an iced coffee and a chocolate angel," Jack said as he peered into the display case. Aster nodded.

"Comin right up mate." Jack thrummed his fingers against the counter as Aster got to work. Within a minute or two Aster was handing Jack his caffeine and sugar while Jack was happily handing over his cash.

Jack raised his hand in a quick wave goodbye as he turned to walk out the door . . . and ran straight into a brick wall. Or at least that's what it felt like to Jack.

In actuality, Jack had walked right into Kozmotis Pitchiner. Also known as Pitch Black or the Nightmare King to his colleagues. He had a tall, lean, muscular build. His facial features were very angular and defined and eyes shone a bright gold. His black slicked back hair helped to give him a businessman look, with his suit being the final touch. He was the type of guy Jack normally would've stopped to admire if the situation had been any different. However he wasn't given much of a chance to look as the man jumped back as Jack seemed to bounce off of him.

When Jack got his bearings, he looked up to see a wet tie and suit in front of him. His teacher instincts went into overdrive.

At a speed that would put a cheetah to shame, Jack grabbed several napkins and quickly began to dab the stranger's wet clothes.

"I'm really sorry about that," Jack said without bothering to look up. Before Jack could fix any of the damage that he had caused the man shoved Jack back by the shoulders.

Jack stumbled back and finally looked up at the stranger's face.

Jack was startled to see the anger in the man's eyes. Jack braced himself for the screaming that he knew was to come.

"It's snowing outside and you order an iced coffee? What the hell is wrong with you?"

_What?_

Jack looked back up at the stranger's face, the anger still glowing in his golden eyes. Jack couldn't resist the urge to smirk.

"I'm not really a fan of hot drinks," Jack shrugged, "They always burn my tongue." The stranger made a disgusted noise and mumbled something that sounded like "Idiotic brat" as he examined his clothes. With a huff, the man turned and went back into the cold.

"What a dick," Jack mumbled as he rolled his eyes; he had just been trying to help.

"Hey Bunny," Jack called, using Aster's nickname, "Hit me up with another iced coffee please."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Kozmotis Pitchiner pitied anyone that would have to talk to him that day. As he stepped off of the elevator, anger and pure fury practically radiated off of him.

His secretary, Elizabeth Anderson, stood up to greet him as he walked into the lobby. She was the epitome of average in Koz's opinion, with no defining features and regular brown hair and brown eyes.

"Good Morning Mr. Pitchiner, is there anything I can,"

"Fetch me my spare suit," Koz hissed out as he walked pass Elizabeth's desk and through a set of doors to his own office.

"Right away Sir," she chirped as she followed him into his office and darted for his closet in the far corner while Koz started to unpack his briefcase onto his desk. Elizabeth brought his spare suit over and held it out to him.

"May I ask what happened this morning Sir," she asked, with something Koz would've mistaken for concern if he didn't know better.

"Some punk spilled his iced coffee on me this morning. Can you believe that? Iced coffee? It's winter and the idiot is drinking iced coffee!" Koz had to take a deep breath to calm himself as he took the suit from Elizabeth.

"What did he look like," Elizabeth asked, rather hoping Koz would answer her selfish question.

"Oh, I don't know! He was a bit shorter than me and he had blue eyes and white hair!" She was lucky enough to get that much of a description out of Koz, due to the fact that he rarely paid attention to other people. He wouldn't have looked at the man at all if he hadn't run into him. Well, that wasn't entirely true. The white hair would've caused a double take, but nothing more Koz decided.

"I hope I never run into that brat again!"

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Come on Jamie, let's go down to the nurse's office and get you a band-aid."

The small 5-year old boy looked up to see Mr. Frost leaning down offering him his hand. The boy carefully stood up and looked at his hands, which were red and horribly carpet burnt. Tears started to form in the boy's eyes as the pain started to set in and his hand felt like it was on fire.

Jack quickly got on his knees so he was eye level with the young boy.

"Hey, hey now. Don't cry. I know it hurts, but it'll be okay. We'll go down to the nurse and she'll get you some ice so it won't hurt anymore. Okay?" Jamie sniffed and wiped his eyes.

"Okay." He reached out and grabbed a hold of the hand Mr. Frost offered him. The two started heading towards the nurse's office after Jack asked one of the other teachers to watch over his kids in the gathering area while he took Jamie to the nurse.

Jack held Jamie's hand gently as they walked through the halls on the way to the nurse's. When they got to the main hallway, Jamie noticed something.

"Mr. Frost, what's that," Jamie asked as he pointed to a large table with heaps of clothes and mismatched accessories on it.

"That's the lost and found." Jamie looked up at Jack.

"What's that?"

"Whenever someone loses something, like a coat or a sock, it comes here. Then the person that lost it can come get it." Jamie thought about this for a moment.

"What happens if nobody ever comes to get it?" Jack rubbed his chin while he thought.

"Well, then somebody else can take it and give it a new home."

"Oh," Jamie whispered.

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**So what did you guys think? Make sure you leave a review to let me know! Free cookies to all who review!**

**I apologize for my horrible accent writing, hopefully I will improve as time goes on.**

**I would like to thank Layla Fair, who has agreed to be my beta for this story. So many thanks to you!**

**Until the next chapter, Happy Reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everybody! So this story has only been up about 6 days and there are already 11 followers. What the hell? I AM SO UNWORTHY! Seriously, it blows my little fangirl mind! So yeah, I love you all. **

**This story is dedicated to my best friend, Nervartius. hope you like it Narvy.**

**Disclaimer:I do not own Rise of the Guardians. **

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"No."

"Aww, c'mon Jack. It wouldn't be that bad."

"I said no."

"It would just be in the morning. That's it. There's almost nobody there that early anyways."

"What part of no do you not understand?"

"It would only be for a month. And you would get paid and everything mate. It would be some extra money for you. You could get your kids some new toys and books."

Jack cursed Aster in his head. He knew all of Jack's weak spots. He spoke the truth though, Jack sighed. His kids had been begging him for some new books for story time and the school was too cheap to put more money for that into the budget.

"You're going to owe me big time Bunny," Jack mumbled as he took another sip of coffee. Aster pumped his fist into the air.

"Alright! You're the best mate!" Jack rolled his eyes.

"You'd better believe it," he mumbled. There was a moment of silence before Jack spoke up again.

"Where are you going to be anyways," Jack asked. Aster sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"I'm helping the folks move down to Florida." Jack's sudden and loud laughter echoed through Aster's small shop.

"Florida," Jack gasped. Aster nodded slowly, which only sent Jack into another fit of laughter. After a minute or two, Jack finally calmed down.

"I didn't think they were that old," Jack said as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"They're not. Da got a job offer down there."

"Ah. I see. So when do I start?"

"Tomorrow. 4:00am. I'll meet you here and walk you through your first day. You can leave around 7:30, that's when Beth will get here. That gives you enough time to get to the school, yeah?" Jack felt his eyelid twitch.

"Four? AM?" Aster nodded.

"Is that gonna be a problem mate?" Jack sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"No, I'll be here at four Bunny." Aster patted him on the back.

"Attaboy. So I'll see you tomorrow then?" Jack stood up and stretched.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." Jack made sure to pick up his remaining coffee before walking out into the cold. He stood outside the door for a moment while he thought about where to go next.

It was about 7 o'clock that evening, so Jack had about an hour before he had to go home and grade papers and look at his lesson plans and other teacher stuff. Jack looked down at his feet.

"So where are we going now guys?" Jack's feet did a little tap dance before they decided to go left. Jack watched the buildings and cars go by as he continued to walk down the sidewalk, with people passing him by left and right. That was one of the reasons why Jack loved the city so much, there was always something going on, and it was never boring.

Five minutes later, Jack smiled as his feet came to a stop.

The Sleigh; the most popular toyshop in town. Run by none other than Jack's friend, Nicholas , or just North as he was known as to his friends.

Jack stepped into the shop. The place smelled of cinnamon and Christmas, and the red walls were decorated for the coming Christmas season. All the children and parents that still occupied the shop this late in the day surprised Jack.

"Jack! Good to see you!" Jack turned at the booming voice to see North. Jack smiled at his large Russian friend.

"Good to see you too North. Looks like you're pretty busy," Jack said gesturing to the small children laughing and giggling at the wondrous toys on display. North laughed.

"Well, everyone loves the Sleigh." Jack nodded.

"I guess they do."

"So Jack, what can I do for you?" Jack shrugged.

"Just thought I'd stop by before heading home. Didn't think you'd be this busy."

"Well, it is almost Christmas time."

"Yeah, I guess you have a point. I think I'll just look around for a bit before I head home." North clapped Jack on the shoulder, causing Jack to jerk forward and almost spill his coffee.

"Alright, stay as long as you like Jack." With that, North turned and went to talk to some of his young customers. Jack gazed in wonder at all the toys, thinking about how much his kids would love them.

Half an hour passed before Jack finally walked out back into the cold and headed home. After Jack got home, he went through his plans for the next day for a bit before he climbed into bed.

XXXXX

BEEEEEEP!"Aster Bunnymund, I am going to gut you in your sleep," Jack mumbled as he opened an eye to look at the clock.

3 AM. Jack groaned as he rolled out of bed, only to land on the floor.

"Ow." Forty-five minutes later, Jack was stumbling out the door on the way to his new part-time job.

XXXXX

"Sorry Jack, I can only stay for about an hour. I gotta go down sooner than I'd planned." Jack couldn't help but groan at those words as he put on his apron and nametag.

An hour later, Bunny had explained everything and was walking out the door, leaving a bored, tired, and cranky Jack in his wake.

Jack made himself a cup of coffee and sipped at it while he leaned on the counter. An hour later, Jack could tell you how many tiles cover the floor and was on his second cup of coffee. Jack slumped against the counter.

"I'm so bored," he moaned, sounding like one of his kids.

That's when a little "ding" sounded through the store as someone walked in. Jack immediately straightened up and plastered a smile on his face.

"Welcome to the Warren! What can I. . .get. . .you," Jack's happy demeanor slowly died as he locked eyes with the man who walked in.

_It's the dick from yesterday!_

The man raised his eyebrow and sneered.

"You," the man's voice dripped poison, "What the hell are you doing here?" Jack swallowed nervously before he false courage kicked in.

"Bunny's going to be out for a month and I got the early shift."

The man, (who was actually quite attractive now that Jack got a good look at him) sighed and shook his head.

"Wonderful," the man raised his head, "Well, as long as you can get my order right and control your gangly limbs, it should be fine."

_Gangly limbs? _Jack was half-tempted to examine his arms. They weren't THAT skinny!

"What can I get you then," Jack mumbled.

"Medium coffee please." Jack paused before he punched it into the register.

"That's it? Nothing in it? No doughnut or actual form of food?" The man rolled his eyes.

"Just get me the coffee please."

"$1.50 please." The man handed Jack his debit card. Jack was about to complete the transaction when he got a good look at the card. The man's name in particular.

He looked at the man, then back at the card. Then back at the man again.

"Kozmotis Pitchiner? What kind of name is that?" Koz's jaw twitched.

"Just get me the damn coffee." Jack raised his hands in surrender as he handed the card back. While Jack went about making Koz's coffee, a thought popped into Koz's head.

"What about your name?" Koz smiled when he saw Jack stiffen.

"What about it?"

"Your name tag says your name is Jack and your hair is white. Is your last name Frost too?" The young man stopped in his tracks in his tracks just as he picked up a black marker to mark Koz's cup. He mumbled incoherently.

"What was that?"

"Yes. My last name is Frost," Jack mumbled a little louder. There was silence in the small cafe before Koz's deep laughter echoed through the place.

The sound startled Jack. This man was the last man he ever expected to laugh. Jack only thought about how lovely his laugh sounded for a second before anger surged through Jack.

Oh, it was on like Donkey Kong.

Jack's mind raced as he thought of his revenge. Then he had it. With a smirk, he scribbled on Koz's cup and set it on the counter.

"Your coffee, Sir," Jack said, his voice level. Koz finally calmed down and wiped a tear from his eye as he took his cup and walked out the door.

"It's been a pleasure Frosty," he called out before he stepped outside. Jack felt his cheeks heat up in anger, or at least that's what he told himself.

XXXXX

For the first time in weeks, Kozmotis Pitchiner was in a good mood.

"Who the hell names their kid Jack Frost," Pitch chuckled to himself as he stepped onto the elevator. For reasons Koz couldn't explain, that tickled his funny bone more than anything else had in a while. Part of it was also the fact the man's name was worse than his.

The young man's reaction had been quite amusing as well. The blush on his cheeks stood out painfully against his pale skin and white hair. It was almost . . .cute.

Koz still had a smile on his face when he stepped off of the elevator to be greeted by Elizabeth and Jeremy O'Brien. Jeremy was a fellow lawyer and a friend of Koz's. They had gone to law school together and still kept in touch.

Koz rather liked Jeremy, he wasn't obnoxious and was always polite. He was also one of the few people that had stuck by Koz during the worst part of Koz's life.

Koz greeted him with a smile and shook his hand.

"It's nice to see you Jeremy. How are you?" Jeremy didn't answer right away, a barely contained laugh on his lips and his eyes lingering on Koz's coffee cup.

"I'm doing fine Koz, or do you prefer Kozzy now?"

"What," Koz gritted out through his teeth. Jeremy pointed to the cup.

Sure enough, in cure, swirling cursive was _Kozzy_. Koz clenched his jaw even harder.

"Frost," he mumbled under his breath.

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**So what did you guys think? Make sure you leave a review and tell me!**

**I would like to thank my beta Layla Fair for looking this over for me and I would like to thank Himmeh, wolfish-twin number 2, Narusasu78 for reviewing! Thanks to all of you!**

**So happy reading and I will see you in the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! *chuckles nervously* So I'm really sorry that this took so long, I don't really have any good excuses. So, once again, I'm sorry. Just an FYI, there will probably be long gaps between updates. This is because school has started and I have a lot of tough classes this semester that require a lot of my attention. So please bear with me because I will finish this. I promise.**

**Once again, this is for my best friend Nervartius. Love ya Narvy!**

**So let's get reading shall we?**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything.**

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For the next two weeks, it was all out war.

Snowman.

Kozzymeister.

Snowflake.

Kozster.

Ice-fairy.

Kozman.

Snowball.

Kozimoto.

Jackie.

Kozman.

Old man.

"Pitch Black." Koz laughed.

"You're a little late with that one Jack. I've been called that for ages." Jack chuckled.

"Darn, and here I thought I was being clever. Although I doubt you can come up with anything better."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that Frost_bite._" Jack felt a shiver go down his spine as the word rolled off of Koz's tongue. Jack laughed it off.

"Pitch please," Koz raised an eyebrow, "Was that supposed to be an insult? That turned me on more than anything else." It was out before Jack could stop it. Koz smirked as he picked up his coffee and started walking out of the shop.

"Perhaps that was the point Jack." Jack's eyes widened as Koz left and a quiet "ding" echoed through the shop. He collapsed against the counter and let his head hit the hard counter top.

"Oh boy."

XXXXX

Koz's colleagues were starting to become concerned. It had been years, YEARS since they had seen him this happy. He was always smiling when he walked into the office and actually greeted Elizabeth instead of simply barking commands at her.

"Mr. Pitchiner? May I ask you a question?" Koz glanced up from his work briefly to see Elizabeth standing in front of his desk.

"I don't see why not."

"What are they like?" Koz paused and looked back up at her.

"Pardon?" Elizabeth came up closer to his desk, with a light blush on her face.

"Well, I don't mean to be forward or rude Sir. It's just that. . . . you've been so happy lately and when you come in, you have this . . . look on your face. And it sort of reminds me of the look my brother would get on his face after talking to his crush. So I was wondering what this person must be like if they can make you smile like that."

Koz was stunned. Had he really come off that way? While he was aware of his sexuality, he had come to realize it shortly after his wife left him, he had never thought about actually taking Jack on a date.

Koz tried to remember the last time he had been on a date, but to no avail. There had been several one night stands in the past 5 years, but those had only served as distractions, something to take his mind off of the hell going on around him.

"Mr. Pitchiner?" Koz looked back up, his thoughts interrupted by a waiting Elizabeth. Koz cleared his throat and gave her a smile.

"Well, he's a bit of a pain in the ass to be honest with you. He's in his early, mid-twenties I think. He has white hair, blue eyes and is quite pale. He works at a coffee shop down the street and has a wicked sense of humor." Elizabeth nodded as she took in each word. Once Koz finished, she smiled.

"He sounds lovely. I hope you decide to ask him on a date." With that, Elizabeth turned and started to leave.

"Elizabeth?" She looked back.

"Yes, Mr. Pitchiner?"

"It's . . . been a while since my last date. Where do people go for first dates these days?" Elizabeth gave him a warm smile.

"Going out for coffee is a good start."

XXXXX

"I'm telling you Tooth, I think this guy would be different." Tatiana, also known as Tooth to her friends, sighed and rolled her eyes. She'd heard that before. Several times in fact. The chance that this guy was different was minimal.

Tooth was a petite woman at the age of 25 and stood at 5'2. She had blue hair she dyed once a month and purple, pinkish eyes thanks to the wonderful invention of contacts. She had a tendency to wear bright colorful clothing and was a pediatric dentist. She also had a right hook deadly enough to knock out Burgess University's star wrestler and Jack knew that for a fact.

He'd watched her fist connect with the guy's face just as he was about to throw another insult Jack's way. That had been the day they first met and they'd been best friends ever since.

Tooth, having been one of Jack's best friends for the past couple years, and the only one Jack could talk to about guys, had heard it all. She'd listened to him gush about crushes, criticize his boyfriends and cry about the break-ups. Most of them in the exact same booth they were sitting in now. It was a tradition for the two of them, that once a week they would meet up at The Palace, a local diner, have dinner and just talk. Often about guys.

"You've said that before Jack. Do you remember Brad? Because I remember Brad." Jack rolled his eyes and waved her off.

"Yeah yeah, I remember. But I'm telling you Tooth, he's not like any one else I've ever dated." Tooth sighed and took a bite of her salad.

"Alright Jack, just don't say I didn't warn you."

"Yeah yeah," Jack mumbled as he took a large bite out of his piece of pizza. Tooth sighed as she started to feel bad about ruining the mood. She gave him a sympathetic smile.

"So tell me about this new stud of yours." Jack's face lit right up and he spent the rest of the evening telling her all about Koz.

XXXXX

The next morning Koz walked into The Warren actually feeling nervous. After going back and forth on the subject for hours in his mind, he finally decided to go through with it. He was going to ask Jack out on a date.

"Well, are you just going to stand there?" Koz snapped back to reality. Koz cleared his throat as he stepped up to the counter.

"No. Sorry about that." Jack shrugged.

"It's fine, we all zone out once in a while. So what'll it be Pitch?"

"Just the usual is fine Jack." Jack was starting to become concerned. Koz rarely called him by his first name and he seemed very distant. Perhaps it wasn't the best day to ask the man on a date. Just as Jack finished the man's order and placed the lid on the cup, Koz cleared his throat, causing Jack to look up at him.

"Jack, how do you feel about coffee?" Jack shot him a confused look.

"Coffee is good. Iced coffee is better. Why do you ask?" Koz looked around nervously for a moment before his gaze finally returned to Jack.

"I was wondering if you'd be willing to get coffee with me later this afternoon." The corner of Jack's lips twitched.

"Like a date," he asked. Koz nodded hesitantly.

"Yes. . .like a date." The corner of Jack's mouth twitched again before he let out a deep sigh.

"I don't know Pitch. You kind of ruined my plan," Koz's face fell, "You see, I had this whole thing planned out. I was going to write 'Will you go on a date with me' on you coffee cup today. But nope, you just had to beat me to it didn't you?"

Koz looked confused for a moment before it finally struck him and he smiled.

"How does 4 o'clock sound?" Jack nodded as he thought it over.

"Sounds good. Can we go someplace other than here though? I'm here long enough as it is." Koz chuckled.

"Fair enough. Any suggestions?"

"Well, I know this one place over on the west side." Koz tensed up and went a little pale.

"I'd . . . prefer not, if that's okay. I do believe that there is one on the corner of Main and Center Street."

"Sure, sounds good." Before Jack handed Koz his cup, he scrawled something on the side. Koz chuckled as he took the cup from Jack and read the side.

_See you at 4 Kozzy._

XXXXX

Koz checked his watch again. 4:20. He had figured Jack to be the late type, but Koz thought 20 minutes was pushing it. He sighed as he looked down at his coffee.

Jack had seemed so enthusiastic. Had it just been a joke? Jack didn't seem the type. Koz's lips curled into a snarl. He had to pull himself together, he was starting to sound like a teenage girl.

With a disgusted huff, Koz stood up and got ready to leave. The cafe door was then flung open, causing the bell tied to the door to go insane. Koz, along with the rest of the people in the small shop, looked to the door.

There stood Jack, face flushed red, panting and. . . covered in paint? It was in all different colors and it looked as if someone had turned Jack into a canvas with random splatters all over his shirt, pants, face and hair. Jack quickly caught his breath and spotted Koz. Jack rushed over, tripping on a chair and nearly killing himself on the way there.

"Koz, I am SO SORRY! I promised the kids they could paint today and I couldn't put it off and they all needed help and then Calvin felt that he had to start throwing paint and then they all started throwing paint and I had to stay after to clean up and then," Koz threw his hand over Jack's mouth to shut him up.

"Jack, what are you talking about?" Jack removed Koz's hand from his face and frowned before realization hit him.

"Oh, I forgot I hadn't told you yet." Koz raised an eyebrow.

"Told me what?"

"That I teach kindergarten." Koz paused for a moment to let it sink in.

Then he started laughing. A smiled played at Jack's lips.

"What's so funny," Jack asked, feeling relieved that Koz didn't appear to be angry. Koz finally calmed down and smiled down at Jack.

"Nothing Jack. Shall we sit down?" Jack bit his lip and looked worriedly at the chair and then back at Koz.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Koz raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?" Jack's cheeks turned a light shade of pink as he looked down in embarrassment.

"My boxers and pants are soaked with paint and I would feel really bad if I ruined one of their chairs." Koz covered his mouth with his hand in an attempt to hide some of his laughter. He then took a couple deep breaths and gave Jack a smile. Without a word to Jack, Koz went up to the counter and grabbed two whole handfuls of napkins. Within a minute or two, he had the seat of the chair completely covered in napkins.

"Problem solved." Jack smiled at him and carefully sat down next to him.

They spent the next hour just talking. Although Jack did most of the talking, and it was mostly about his students, but Koz didn't mind. Even if he did zone out once or twice, Jack's voice was somewhat soothing and his enthusiasm was infectious.

When the two of them were ready to leave, they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Jack was on the verge of skipping as he made his way home. It had been a long time since a date had gone that well for him. In fact, Jack couldn't remember the last time he went on a date where his date didn't interrupt him while he was talking or make a face when he talked about his students.

Jack's head was up in the clouds as he soon approached his apartment building. Two girls walked by, yanking Jack from the sky as he caught a snippet of their conversation.

"Did you see Emma the other day? What was she thinking?" Jack's breath caught in his lungs and his heart stalled. Jack struggled to breathe as it felt like his lungs were shrinking. He leaned against the apartment building for support.

It was a full four minutes before Jack could stand up straight again and walk into the building.

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**So what did you guys think? Be sure to leave a review to let me know. I live off of those things.**

**I would like to thank Layla Fair for being my awesome beta, as usual. I would also like to thank sakura-blossoms-26, Narusasu78, TheChronicLiar, Ai Chiyo, Ldrmas, and 3 different guests for reviewing. Thank you!**

**So, until next chapter, Happy Reading!  
**


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